The Lumberyard Arts Center is a place where the community can come together through art, music, and theater. Through their mission of wanting to grow the community creative experiences, it is hosting a pennant-making event for the World Cup watch party in Sullivan Square.
Pennants are being made in the Lumberyard Arts Center from the time that students came back from spring break through May 30, 2026. Family and community members can come in during their regular weekly hours. These pennants will be hung in Sullivan Square during the community recreation center’s watch party in June.
“We wanted it to be very community-based, so it was an activity for all ages; families could come in to do it, Baker students could come in and do it,” Executive Director Jeannette Blackmar said, explaining the reason for making the pennants and the goal of the Lumberyard.
Beyond making pennants in the Lumberyard, some have been distributed to the elementary and middle schools, where students can work on them as well. At the after-school recreation center, kids also work on the pennants. The Lumberyard has about 350 to 360 pennants that are out in the community, specifically, students are working on.
Blackmar says, “I am definitely seeing it growing as we get closer to the World Cup. It’s still a little too far out, but as we get closer to the event and school is out, getting into May and early June, we will see more excitement next month.”
This is a time when children can come with their parents and create a flag for one of the competing teams, spending time together as a family in a creative atmosphere. As this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the World Cup in Kansas City, Blackmar and her team are creating this experience where sports and arts come together in Baldwin City.
The watch party is also an opportunity for community members to engage with the Lumberyard. Specifically wanting more engagement from Baker students, as Blackmar thinks of Baker as being part of the community, and wants to bring more engagement for students.
Blackmar said, “Baker’s campus is a part of the Baldwin community, and we want students to know that if a community event is going on, everyone on campus, whether student or faculty, is invited to join us. We have students who come in occasionally, but we would love it if they came in more frequently.”
The Lumberyard ordered roughly 1,000 pennants to fill the art center and line the square’s fence, showing the creativity of every pennant that someone has made. By working with other community organizations in Baldwin, the Lumberyard aims to grow community engagement. With about a month and a half till pennants will be fully on display, the Lumberyard invites everyone to come and participate in this fun community event.
